While they don’t have the national championships to show off, the Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the best football programs in the country for quite some time. Not only do they field a tough football team pretty consistently, but the Badgers also put many terrific players into the NFL. As it stands, there are currently 30 Badgers on NFL rosters. For Super Bowl LIX, we will see a pair of great Wisconsin linebackers facing off — Zack Baun and Leo Chenal.
With both Baun and Chenal’s roles on the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, both players have the opportunity to play a big factor in the 2025 Super Bowl.
Zack Baun’s Career Year With Philadelphia Eagles | Super Bowl LIX Wisconsin Badgers
Former Wisconsin Badgers are not strangers to the NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, thanks to the Watt brothers. However, Wisconsin is quickly turning in “LB University” and a new elite linebacker can be added to the list with Zack Baun, after his career year with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Baun played his first four NFL seasons in New Orleans where he was mostly used as a pass rusher up on the line of scrimmage. After signing a one-year, $1.6M contract with the Eagles this season, Zack Baun earned himself a lot of money playing a different role in Vic Fangio’s defense.
This season, Zack Baun played 16 games, totaling 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, and 5.5 forced fumbles. In his three NFL Playoff games this year, Baun has 26 tackles, two TFLs, one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two passes defended.
He has been named a finalist for the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and he certainly earned himself a lot of money this offseason. This could increase with a big Super Bowl LIX performance. We also could see Baun sneak his way into the Super Bowl MVP conversation, if he makes a game-changing play that results in a Philadelphia Eagles win.
Leo Chenal NFL Career With Kansas City Chiefs | Super Bowl LIX Wisconsin Badgers
In Leo Chenal‘s third NFL season, he will be trying to make history with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning three straight Super Bowls. It’s as good of a start to an NFL career as you could find.
You could argue Leo Chenal deserved Super Bowl LVIII MVP as well. He was a big reason for the Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers. Not only did Chenal block Jake Moody’s PAT attempt in the fourth quarter, but he also had six tackles, one TFL, and a forced fumble in the game’s opening drive.
Across his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Chenal has played 51 regular season games. He has totaled 160 tackles, 15 TFLs, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and a blocked field goal. If he can put together another Super Bowl performance like the last one, many will start talking about him in the conversation of most impactful defensive players in Super Bowl history.
While there are only two Wisconsin Badgers playing in Super Bowl LIX, clearly they are two great ones in Zack Baun and Leo Chenal. It will be fun to root for two former Badgers and Wisconsinites.
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